A different view on cultural inter-face

Kill the culture to kill a nation is a long old fascist maxim. It is free from amilitary approach and is increasingly practised by stronger nations over the relatively weaker ones. The latest victim in the South Asian region happens to be Bangladesh. Bangladesh's socio-culture and heritage in all possible fronts is under awesome threat from the neighbouring India. This is happening, on the one end, by the overriding advent of Indian sky TVs, and, on the other, by definite and deliberate abetting by the authorities concerned Bangladesh. In that covert campaign, in the absence of any visible counteract, the private promoters are now encouraged to invite depraved Indian actresses and models to directly dent our younger generations through their pervert and immoral performances. Even sulky, sensuous Hindi comperes find place these days over the somber Bangladeshi anchors in local programmes. Functions in mass media, cultural soirees, publication meets, films and theaters, fashion shows, beauty chats, kitchen talks, seminars, health and hospital programmes, TV gossips and hotel meetings, everywhere there is the roaring presence of Indian pin-ups. And in those Indo-biased programmes, leaving apart many good things of India, what is penetrating alarmingly more is the cheap Indian porno culture in countless forms. Our roadside hoardings, billboards, press-pages and TV commercials are now filled with outrageous Indian ads to further demonstrate us as a downcast nation. Thus, Bangladesh is ignorantly losing its sovereign significance, while the populace at large is robbed of their persona as a nation. Not just now, every time a particular political party comes to power - Bangladesh tends transform itself into a perfect Indian satellite ! Due to our general ignorance and negligence and because of insane patronage and propagation by a section of print and electronic media, non-government organizations (NGOs) and private bodies, Bangladesh is now a thriving breeding ground for alien culture. Strange practices like Valentines Day, Thirty-first Night, Mongal Dwip, bizarre dresses, tattoos and statutes in gala parades mark our festivities in the recent days. We celebrate them unaware that thus we destroy our long-cherished heritage and cultural values. This is also slowly sowing a sense of disregard towards our own customs and creed among the growing youngsters, making them think that the alien society is more enriched. If such moves go unchecked and unattended for long like this, the inevitable result would be creation of the undesired 'fifth columns' within the nation, much to our long term-peril. What is culture? Now, before going further into the context, let us briefly deal with culture and creed of a nation. In the general notional conception, the element of culture is a subject prone to be misconceived. Many of us awkwardly talk about cultural aspects of our society without knowing what culture is. There is a tendency that people think of only language and literature, songs and films as the culture of our society. Even scholars are found passing language and literature as the only identity of our culture. But it is to be realised that language, literature, music etc., are never culture in themselves, rather those are some of the so-many items of our social system of life, called culture. It is not just an element of individual trust or belief, rather it is to be searched in a wider domain. The cultural discharge of a civilised society comes from the practices and procedures of its every-day life. The religious faiths and fidelity, sense of value and proportions, prayers and worships, festivals and ceremonies, rites and rituals, social customs and calendars, legal laws and moral codes, history and heritage, names and nomenclatures, dialects and languages, songs and cinemas, art and literatures, stages and theatres, life-style and systems, national feelings and sentiments, dress and fashions, marriages and matrimonials, manners and behaviours, grace and beauty - all these that mean culture of people, society or a nation that entails the entire realm of life, combined together, and founded on, thoughts and beliefs developed over centuries. That is what culture is comprised of. In short, it is a product of the people's distinctive outlook on life and of life in the social system. Because it is strewn in the popular mindset over a long period, the culture of a nation cannot be defiled or infected overnight. Also, to vitiate a culture long-cherished and practised, it has to be moved from within by those who are close to the aliens by heart but cannot be identified because of their inseparable proximity with the mainstream. And this is how the bid of infiltration is orchestrated so quietly and calculatively that the naive mass of the mainstream Bangladesh cannot even imagine. The infiltration apparently comes often through the dramas and dialogues, often in songs and cinema, or often by means of ads and jingles and in many other forms. Just think how the incursions are made into so subtly and softly that we cannot even fathom or recognise those when they come in the form of 'mongal dwip' or 'dholok' in place of 'Tilawat and Quran', 'dada' in place of 'bhai', silence in memoriam in place of 'munajat', 'ashirbad' in place of 'doa', 'dhuty' in place of 'payjama' etc. Those and so many of the like have already settled in quietly in our mindset so well that they no longer appear to be alien. Slowly now, Bangladesh is a hot breeding ground for alien culture and a sizzling cash-cow for the Indian idols ! Every day millions of takas are flown away often by the cultural broods, and often from the bourses. And the authorities concerned not only consciously abet and endorse, but also encourage, defend and often promote the covert designs, much to the nation's despair ! And, in the face of an onrush of alien digital show-business, the Bangladesh counterparts only mope, moan and groan with no quarter- braving to their rescue. The question is: shall we allow ourselves to be merely a satellite state or uphold our national dignity as a sovereign nation? By all means no, we shouldn't. Bangladesh has always fought against all sorts of hegemonism and will continue to do so in future as well. One of many apparent reasons for the ominous erosion in our general national attitude appears to be the easy and unhindered availability of Indian sky-channels. Save a few, most of them pamper in dreadful vulgarity, so much so that they even fail to discriminate age differences of the targeted watchers. While the serials studiously promote extra-marital affairs, their films project body contours more than the context. The raunchy Indian TVs now happen to be the main avenue of cultural infiltration into our society. Apart from intrusion of unseemly social customs, this has hit our adolescents, youths and the society at large very alarmingly and slowly, and causing family disturbances. None of our TV channels are open in India, not even in Bangla-spoken West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and the adjoining states. It is not understood why then so many impish Indian channels should be allowed in Bangladesh. This is not just an abetment, but a definite subservient submission on the part of Bangladesh. If we want our nationhood to defy alien influence and save our youths from slow mental erosion, then there has to be immediate censorship on some of the Indian TV channels. The sooner, the better for national interest. The other distressing mode of cultural infiltration comes from the uncontrolled invitation of foreigners, particularly the Indians to Bangladesh programmes. There is no reciprocity and the Bangladesh personalities are hardly requested or honoured in India. Even if any Bangladeshi expert is ever invited because of any compulsion, he is given a third-grade treatment in boarding, lodging, in the actual programme or elsewhere. So, this also calls for a clear policy guideline for invitation of foreign personalities to Bangladesh. The related who, when and where issues have to be addressed in right earnest. Particularly Indians in cultural programmes and their shows and performances should be carefully monitored if we want to check the moral degradation of our youths. Every nation has its self-respect and pride. But due to our own negligence, indifference and too much of mingling with the big neighbour because of policy failures, our younger generations are gradually losing the sense of national pride and esteem. The oblivious attitude of the power-that-be in this respect is even hastening such an erosion of national values and sentiment. This has to be rectified and the government should take the initiative to restrain and counter the looming foreign cultural domination. All avenues of cultural infiltration, particularly the ones as mentioned, should be sealed without delay to save our future generations from social and mental subjugation. The writer is an FCA and Corporate Consultant, Al Muqtadir Association, and can be reached at muqtadir@muqtadirbd.com